Mr. Executive Privilege

Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 | 2:09 a.m.

Every American president leaves office with secrets that are not uncovered until decades later, if at all. Citizens are left wondering why the nation’s chief executives made certain decisions or why some of those actions weren’t disclosed to the public until long after the presidents waved goodbye to the White House.

With a voracious appetite for declaring executive privilege virtually every chance he got, don’t be surprised to see President George W. Bush leaving behind a legacy shrouded in secrecy — more than most administrations — as he retires in January to the comforts of his Texas lifestyle.

As much as Democratic members of Congress may want to gather more information from the Republican administration on its conduct in a variety of areas that merit investigation, getting cooperation from Bush and his underlings is not likely to be an easy task, even after the president leaves office. At least that’s what was reported Thursday by The New York Times, which raised the possibility that Bush could still assert power under the Constitution to block subpoenas after his term ends.

Although there are legitimate arguments for maintaining secrets related to national security, it is hard to see how Bush and his administration can continue to stay silent on other matters, including the firing of federal prosecutors, the meetings Vice President Dick Cheney held with energy executives and the harsh treatment of foreign detainees.

Americans who value transparent government clearly did not have a friend in Bush. The president has treated his nearly eight years in office as though he were an imperial leader who did not feel the need to answer to the public or admit to any mistakes in judgment.

As awful as his presidency has been both at home and abroad, imagine how much more his popularity would sink if we learned what he actually did all these years in the Oval Office.